Our Favorite Sports Movie Actors: Where Are They Now?

One of the striking differences between the average sports movie and the rest of its cinematic brethren is that—good or bad—it often features a cast of lesser known actors and athletes.

Of course, classics like The Natural, Slap Shot and Bull Durham gave top billing to some of the biggest stars in the industry, but for every sports flick starring Robert Redford, there are a dozen that either landed a future A-lister early in his career or featured a lesser known actor in a prominent role.

It's the nature of the genre and one of the reasons so many beloved classics proudly wear the label of "cult classic."

As a result, plenty of actors who played some of the most memorable characters from our favorite sports flicks haven't exactly been a prominent part of pop culture in the years since. But that doesn't mean that their lives and careers stopped after the credits rolled.

In August 2013, Bleacher Report published "Sports Movie Stars All Grown Up." This piece is a follow-up to that. Here are some more of our favorite sports movie stars and where they are now.

Jimmy Chitwood, Hoosiers

Maris Valainis

Credit: YouTube

Jimmy Chitwood was played by actor Maris Valainis, who last acted in Casualties of War in 1989. He worked in golf-course management before landing his current job, according to a profile in the Los Angeles Times.

Today he lives in Costa Mesa, Calif., with his wife and two daughters. In 2012 he was interviewed by the director of a short film about Hoosiers.

Vicki Vallencourt, The Waterboy

Fairuza Balk

David Livingston/Getty Images North America

Actress Fairuza Balk has worked steadily since the early '80s—her first major role was as Dorothy in Return to Oz. Other noteworthy projects include American History X, Almost Famous, Family Guy and Humboldt County.

She also voiced Mercedes Cortez in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City back in 2002. Currently she has a project in post-production and another in pre-production.

Ian Roberts

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images North AmericaRoberts pictured second from left

As an actor/writer/producer, Ian Roberts may be the most successful of Bring it On’s original cast. His acting credits include: Key and Peele, Childrens Hospital, Arrested Development, Community, The Dictator, Parks and Recreation and Workaholics—and that’s just since 2010.

He has also won acclaim as a writer for Key and Peele, Mythbusters and the Upright Citizens Brigade. He’s worked as an actor, director, producer, writer and has appeared as himself on various programs, most recently on the Comedy Central show @midnight.

Drago, Rocky IV

Dolph Lundgren

Matt Sayles/Associated Press

Strapping Swede Dolph Lundgren got his start acting in Rocky IV in 1985, and he’s been working ever since. Other early films include Masters of the Universe, Men of War, Johnny Mnemonic and The Peacekeeper.

Most recently he starred in the action hit The Expendables. He returned for the sequel, which was released in 2012, and he is slated to appear in the third and fourth installments of the film. Yes...there are going to be four of those.

Tommy ‘Machine’ Gunn, Rocky V

Tommy Morrison

AP Photo/Tom Hood

Tommy "Machine" Gunn was played by real-life boxer Tommy Morrison. Unfortunately, his story doesn’t have a heartwarming ending like in the movies.

Six years after Rocky V was released in 1990, he tested positive for HIV—though he always maintained he didn’t have the virus. In the years prior and after, he struggled with drugs and alcohol and was arrested several times for various incidents.

Morrison attempted a few career comebacks over the years, with very limited success. In September 2013, he died tragically at the age of 44. His official cause of death was cardiac arrest, brought on by a blood infection.

Arthur Agee, Hoop Dreams

Arthur Agee

Credit: YouTube

Arthur Agee played college basketball at Mineral Area College before earning a scholarship to Arkansas State, where he played for two years. Like Gates, Agee never realized his dream of playing in the NBA.

In the years following Hoop Dreams, Agee faced some serious personal struggles, including the murder of his father in 2004. Today his work is focused on his foundation, which seeks to help underprivileged kids.

Evelyn Gardner, A League of Their Own

Credit: YouTube

Wife to a useless husband and mother to a terrible child, Evelyn Gardner took an awful lot of abuse in A League of Their Own. Most famously she was subjected to Jimmy Dugan’s tirade, “There’s no crying in baseball!”

Betty Spaghetti, A League of Their Own

Credit: YouTube

Poor Betty Spaghetti. The first time we meet her in A League of Their Own, Jimmy Dugan is tearing up her husband’s baseball card. The last time we see her, Dugan is delivering the bad news that her husband had died in World War II.

Tracy Reiner

Credit: Facebook

The daughter of director Penny Marshall, actress Tracy Reiner got her acting start on the '80s sitcom Laverne & Shirley. She also had small roles in When Harry Met Sally, Beaches, Die Hard and Pretty Woman.

She was one of several cast members to sign on for the television series A League of Their Own, which didn’t last long. She’s had the occasional bit part in the years since, but today her main focus is on her husband and five children.

Dwayne Robertson, D2: The Mighty Ducks

Ty O’Neal

Credit: YouTube

Actor Ty O’Neal gave it a go in Hollywood but never really gained any traction. His post-The Mighty Ducks credits include a small role in The Postman in 1997 and an unaccredited appearance in Wild Wild West two years later—both were considered epic box-office flops.

These days he is keeping a low profile, living with his wife Christine in Sanger, Texas. The couple were married in 2005 during the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. Today they train quarter horses and occasionally travel on the PRCA rodeo circuit.

Ali Mills, The Karate Kid

Elisabeth Shue

A bona fide superstar of her day, Elisabeth Shue starred in Cocktail, Back to the Future Part II, Back to the Future Part III, Adventures in Babysitting and Soapdish in the years after The Karate Kid.

Her roles since 2000 have not been nearly as abundant, but she still works somewhat regularly. Since 2009, she has appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Piranha 3D. In 2012 she landed a recurring role on CSI.

Johnny Lawrence, The Karate Kid

Credit: YouTube

One of the most memorable bad guys in sports movie history, Johnny Lawrence is the defending All Valley Karate Tournament champion. A student at the Cobra Kai dojo, Lawrence is shown up by Daniel LaRusso.

Squints, The Sandlot

Chauncey Leopardi

Credit: Facebook.com/chauncey.leopardi‎

Actor Chauncey Leopardi is one of the more successful child actors to appear in The Sandlot, which isn’t saying all that much, considering how unimpressive (or nonexistent) the careers of his co-stars were.

He has appeared in Boy Meets World, Casper, The Larry Sanders Show, The Opposite of Sex, 7th Heaven, Freaks and Geeks, CSI, Gilmore Girls and The Sandlot: Heading Home. In 2013 he had a small role in the film Coldwater.

Also in 2013, Leopardi dealt with a very nasty divorce from his wife Stefani.